Head of an Old Man

In addition to the charming illustrations of masquerades and balls and the prints and watercolors depicting the working classes and poor that were so popular among collectors, Gavarni was also capable of producing sensitive and poignant observations of the human condition in pen and ink. Reminiscent of Géricault's series of paintings of mental patients made for the psychologist Georget, Gavarni here captures the resignation of an old man in his decline. The broad shoulders, now stooped, and the wild hair grown white with age hint at a former vitality and energy that has long since slipped away.